Representative Albums: "Bedtime Stories," "Triage," "Here Comes the New Folk Underground"
Biography
After the quick dissolution of David & David in the mid-'80s, David Baerwald began a solo career, releasing his solo debut, Bedtime Stories, in 1990. As with David & David's sole album, it was an album of deceptively laid-back pop; the calm production and subtle, memorable melodies hid the fact that Baerwald's characters were either inflicting or suffering from emotional pain. It was a triumph, winning raves from critics, but it sold very few copies. With his second album, 1993's Triage, Baerwald decided to have the music match the message, creating soundscapes that recalled a subdued, more pop-friendly Tom Waits. Again, the critical praise was substantial but the record sold even fewer copies than the first. A follow-up wouldn't be seen for nearly a decade, however; Baerwald took time out to work with other musicians and tweak his playing skills. He joined Sheryl Crow for her monumental Tuesday Night Music Club debut and was later nominated for a Golden Globe for Moulin Rouge's swan song, "Come What May." Finally, Baerwald bounced back with Here Comes the Folk Underground in 2002. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
His songs can be found on 27 million albums sold in the US and Europe.
The Los Angeles Times, in an article related to his album Triage, called him the most literate of contemporary songwriters, to which Baerwald reportedly replied, "Well, that's the end of me!"
As a composer, his taste ranges from derivations of the simplest of folk-inspired melodies to instrumental music which is often experimental, cerebral and difficult to categorize, though usually containing a strong melodic line.
His songs have been recorded by a wide range of artists ranging from the aforementioned Crow to artists as disparate as Japanese artists the Yoshida Brothers through Luciano Pavarotti, through Bangles front woman Susanna Hoffs, LeeAnn Rimes, jazz artist Holly Cole, Jesca Hoop and alt-rocker Pete Yorn. He also has worked extensively as both a songwriter and instrumental score composer in film and television, including the Golden Globe-nominated song from the 2001 motion picture Moulin Rouge! called "Come What May", for which he also won the International Film Music Award, and which has been covered by a wide variety of international artists.